Camping trip to Stradebroke Island (1 Viewer)

Camping Trip to North Stradbroke Island, Queensland
26,27,28th July 2003

North Stradbroke Island is a magnificent sand island right on Brisbane’s doorstep. Composed almost entirely of sand it was created by the wind and waves piling up sand over thousands of years behind the rocky outcrop of Point Lookout. It is about 24 miles long and 7 across with a ridge running down it’s centre with a maximum height of about 720 feet. See the following for more information. http://www.nrm.qld.gov.au/factsheets/pdf/water/w66.pdf

Jim, my husband, and I decided on the spur of the moment to go to Straddie, as it is locally called, for a campout for a few days. We haven’t used our camping gear for about 8 years so had to do a bit of hunting around to find things; Jim worked outside looking for tent, chairs, airbed and pump etc while I packed up eating and cooking equipment and packed the Esky (Australian lingo for an insulated, portable cooler) with enough food for a couple of days. We had a 2-hour drive to reach the car ferry terminal at Cleveland, (Brisbane) and arrived just in time to catch the 2.15pm ferry and drove off at the Island town of Dunwich about an hour later. We had decided to camp on the North Coast behind the sand dunes so started off on the Island’s only sealed road, ignoring the inviting signs for comfortable camp sites with hot showers, camp kitchens, TV rooms etc.
To get to our destination we had to drive on the beach for a while; this was a new experience for us and was not as easy as it looks when other people do it. The tide was fairly high and there had been a fair bit of traffic up and down that day so the sand was well churned up. We did a bit of slipping and sliding but didn’t actually get bogged. A hairy experience to start off with but we eventually found a sign indicating a camping area so we drove in there for a look. Incidentally, in case any birders are tut-tutting about beach driving, it is mid winter here so no birds are nesting on the beaches.

It was wonderful! So sheltered and secluded with not another camper in sight and a big selection of sites to choose from. As we had forgotten to bring a shovel we were very glad to see a self-composting toilet provided, save our fingernails!!!! We found a cosy site out of the wind and set about erecting the tent. This was a wee bit of a problem as we bought it about ten years ago and only used it a couple of times so we had forgotten how to put it together but we soon sorted it out and popped it up quickly and without any arguments or cross words. With that done I hunted around for firewood and soon had a good pile ready. As soon as the sun drops below the horizon, at about 5pm, it gets cold very quickly (remember it is mid-winter here) so we had to be prepared and we needed the fire to cook on too as the gas bottle was nearly empty.

The site was behind the first low dune and well wooded with Casssurina species forming the front line of trees with a mixture of Coastal Banksia, Wallum, Cypress Pine and Swamp Paperbark forming the second front. The Banksias and Paperbarks were in flower, which attracted flocks of very noisy birds including Noisy Friarbirds, Brown Honeyeaters and Rainbow Lorikeets. These made such a racket and there were so many of them that it took a bit of searching to find the quieter, less numerous species. I could hear the call of the Scarlet Honeyeater but found only one female, a plain brown bird. Also seen here were White-cheeked Honeyeater, Laughing Kookaburra, Torresian Crow, Grey Butcherbird, Varied Triller and Grey Fantail. After our ‘home’ was established we went for a walk on the beach to see the sun go down. Silver Gulls were the common bird, an Australasian Gannet diving beyond the breakers, one lonesome White-faced Heron patrolling the water’s edge and the common ‘fisherman’s attendant’, the Whistling Kite, hoping for a free feed from one of the ever hopeful anglers fishing in the surf. Welcome Swallows skimmed along the water’s edge and a Willie Wagtail teetered about on the edge of the dune. As the western sky slowly turned orange and pink so did the wet sand along the water’s edge while the eastern sky picked up the softer hues of mauve and a wonderfully soft grey/purple. Last bird of the day was a flock of Galahs flying over with their pink underparts appearing to pick up the colour from the sunset.

T’was a bit chilly by now so we set our fire going and indulged in a beer and platter of cheese’n’things while we contemplated the fire and talked over the day and what tomorrow would bring. Then the pan went on the fire with onions, mushrooms and steak while some potatoes bubbled away in my best stainless steel saucepan (it looks as good as new now!). A nice bottle of red helped to wash this down followed by coffee and soon it was camper’s bedtime. No nocturnal birds were heard but there were a few Grey-headed Flying Foxes (large fruit bats) about, squeaking and twittering from the flowering trees overhead.

We were warm and cosy on our inflatable mattress and slept well until the Kookaburras disturbed us with their rousing ‘wake-up call’, next the Friarbirds started and their call defies description-----something like a manic braying soprano donkey crossed with a strangling cat!!! We stayed in bed till the sun touched the treetops then I got up and did a bit of tracking in the soft sand nearby. Tracks of a very large lizard, some small hopping creature, wallaby, a fox and a HUGE dog (maybe a Dingo?) were all easily identified. We breakfasted quickly and packed up camp ready for the day’s adventures. Reducing the air pressure in the tyres of the Land Cruiser seemed like a good idea so we let it out 5 seconds at a time (of course we didn’t have a pressure gauge!) and we set off along the beach. The tide was about midway so there was some firm, wet sand to drive on and we had quite an easy drive along the beach to Point Lookout, a rocky outcrop on the north east point of the Island. From here volunteers count the number of Humpback Whales passing and the total for this year so far has been 1057 and still counting! Their numbers have increased dramatically since whaling was stopped in 1952; for more information visit http://www.hervey.com.au/whales/humpback

I have had to cut this message into two parts as I rambled on too much.I'll send part 2 later. Nancy

Stradbroke Island Part 2
From here we went along a track called Claytons Track; aptly named!! And saw the very beautiful male Scarlet Honeyeater feeding in the white blossoms of a eucalypt. An awesome sight and enough to keep me happy for the rest of the day but further along we spotted an Osprey guarding a nest and a small flock of Rainbow Bee-eaters flying overhead. A couple of wallabies hopped across the track and we met up with several groups of cyclists some of whom were visiting from Canada. They were not making much progress and were delighted to stop and talk to us each time we caught up with each other. The track ended at the little village of Amity where we bought some fresh prawns (shrimp to some) for lunch and watched a group of about twenty Aust. Pelicans lounging about waiting for their lunch to be provided by the local fishermen cleaning their catch at the facility provided. A couple of Brahminy Kite soared around overhead and some Crested Terns and gulls rested on the jetty. Three species of Cormorant were here too, the Pied, Little Pied and Little Black. Time to move on so we took another bush track to Brown Lake where we had a peaceful lunch of prawns, beer and salad by this ‘perched lake’. I used the fine sand on the beach to do last nights ‘washing up’ and rinsed the items clean in the clear water (no detergent). The water in these lakes is generally very acid and doesn’t support much wildlife, though I did see some tiny fish near the edge but no water birds. On the track in we saw Brown Cuckoo Dove and Black-faced Cuckoo-Shrike plus a flock of LBJ’s that were probably Striated Thornbills. We got a bit lost after leaving the lake but eventually found our way to Blue Lake, a ‘window lake’. It appeared no bluer than Brown Lake but any water anywhere would look blue on such a day as this with the brilliant cerulean sky overhead. It was tempting enough for a bunch of young people to take a swim and on a warm summer day would be irresistible after the 2-mile walk in. There were some nice wild flowers around and if the photos I took are any good I will TRY to attach some.

Our next move was to the eastern side of the island and a new “Eighteen-Mile” beach to drive on and hopefully find a good spot to camp. While driving slowly along a small track I spotted something special. It was an Australian Hobby and it took a few minutes to make a positive ID as I haven’t seen one for years. Eighteen-mile beach didn’t turn out quite as we had hoped as it was only possible to camp on the actual beach with no shelter from the wind but we had a great drive along in the sand and again didn’t get stuck once. We were a bit disappointed at not finding a nice site to camp and J mentioned stopping at a motel for the night but you can’t see birds in a motel room so on we went to the other end of the northern beach and found another good site all to ourselves. The same procedure as last night, heated-up frozen chicken curry for dinner plus a great fire to warm the cockles of our hearts. The joy of the night was hearing the eerie call of the Beach or Bush Stone Curlew or Thick Knee as it is now called, I couldn’t tell from the calls which species it was. I had seen the distinctive footprints in the sand earlier and had hoped that I would hear it in the evening. This call always gives me a big thrill.

Monday morning dawned bright and clear again and the dominant birds overhead were the Rainbow Lorikeets, affectionately known as ‘coloured shrieks’ but they were not so noisy today as there was not so much competition from other species. Today we wanted to find our way to the higher ground on the island and experience the drive down the step sand dune but every track we chose from the map was closed so we didn’t make it to the top. Instead we went to visit the Museum but found it also closed so we sat on the beech near the town of Dunwich and watched some Eastern Curlew, Crested Tern, Caspian Tern, Gull-billed Tern, Sacred or White Ibis, Pied Oystercatchers , Great Egret and a White-bellied Sea-Eagle.
A pair of Masked Lapwing was guarding four fluffy young nearby and a Spangled Drongo flitted about in a Moreton Bay Fig Tree and here we saw the unwelcome House Sparrow and Spotted Turtle-Dove

There was an interesting fishing operation happening nearby, involving three men in waist-high waders, one woman with two small children, four small boats, a huge quantity of blue fishing net, one dog that was very actively involved, about ten pelicans that seemed to think it was all happening to provide dinner for them and a very small number of fish. It was a perfect day for just sitting around watching people ‘mucking around in boats’ and we had travelled most of the island that is accessible by motor vehicle. The whole southern part of the island is undeveloped and is only accessible via the beach or on foot. We went back up the hill into an area of eucalypt and Pinus radiata forestry and had lunch. We found a place where there was some good heath land that I hoped would provide some different birds but the only new ones were the Little Wattlebird and Grey Shrike-thrush but there were very nice flowers and shrubs and we enjoyed just sitting in the sun without having to jump up every second to look for a bird. The plants that caught my eye were purple Patersonia (an iris), yellow/orange Dillwynia (egg & bacon), white Wedding Bush (ricinorcarpus I think), climbing purple Hardenbergia violacia sprawling all over everything, pink Baeckea and Boronia. Grass-trees thrust their striking spear like flower spikes upward to a height of 8 or 9 feet but the richly nectareous flowers were not yet open. None of these flowers are big and showy except the Patersonia, but the overall effect was very attractive.

It was time to move so we went back to town and caught the 2.15 return ferry. It was low tide when we got to Cleveland with the mud banks well exposed and there were lots of birds about. Little Egret and 2 Mangrove Kingfishers sitting on the mud were too new birds for the list and in the distance I could see a large flock of about 80 foraging Great Egrets.

We were glad to get back and a hot shower was very welcome. I was secretly disappointed that we hadn’t got the car bogged at least once and am now determined that the tent will be used more frequently. Next place might be Fraser Island, which is a larger sand island a bit further north. So I will keep you posted.
Photos of some of the birds I have mentioned can be seen at http://birdwatching.kingfisherbay.com/galleryindex.html

Nancy
o o o o o

Very well-written narrative, but I think the wrong forum. I kept waiting to read about the horrible offense against nature, but it never appeared, just a lovely holiday.

Great stuff, Nancy. I was in Brisbane at this time of year five years ago and I remember it getting cold in the evenings, especially because there was no heating in the houses. I'd like to go to Straddie on my next trip to Brissie but may go the whole hog and go up to Fraser. I've heard that it's absolutely unmissable. Some great birds in your report, just can't wait to get back!

E

Moderators, thanks for moving this into 'Trip Reports.

Nancy

Great report Nancy. I love hearing about those Aussie species. You painted a nice picture of your whole camping adventure. My wife and I plan a one month trip to Australia in about 3 years. I wish it could be sooner!

dennis

A very readable write-up of a great couple of days away, Nancy. Down here in the cold of a Ballarat winter, it sounded wonderful! Thanyou for posting that. Now I'm off to look at your pictures.

Tony

Thanks Nancy for an enjoyable read. Straddie sounds a good place to visit and with some great birds. I enjoyed the camping details too as I have done quite a bit of camping and love it. A surprising number of wild flowers for winter? Or ar they spring flowers just starting? Hope to hear about a trip to Frazer in the not too distant future!